Tribal hamlets long wait for road link ends

​Adilabad: Finally, the misery of the residents of five villages under Sirikonda mandal, 300 kms north of Hyderabad, that they underwent for the last nine years after a culvert constructed across the Palavagu stream that connected them with the outside world washed away in the floodwaters, came to an end.

All these years, the tribes living in the five villages had to trek through the thickets to reach Sirichalma village from where they could get access to public transport or auto-rickshaws to their mandal or district headquarters.

It may be mentioned here that some 12 years ago, the government had constructed a culvert in a bid to connect five villages with Sirichalma, but after three years, the culvert was washed away in floodwaters. 

Since then, the villagers, who ran from pillar to post to get the culvert reconstructed, resigned to their fate.
There were instances, especially during the rainy season, delay in getting pregnant women, the aged and those fell sick in admitted to hospitals that cost their lives. All that the government needed was just Rs 5 lakh to repair the culvert.

Against this backdrop, the Adilabad Superintendent of Police Vishnu S Warrier, who is on a mission to reach out to all tribal villages to instil confidence among them, had visited Narayanapur village some 10 days ago.  

The residents, as usual, urged the SP to help in restoring the culvert. Moved by their appeal, the SP promised them to make it happen. The villagers who took it as a routine promise were a surprised lot a couple of days later when they saw the Ichoda police descending on their village with a host of construction workers, two JCBs and 12 tractors to reconstruct the culvert.

Speaking to The Hans India, 55-year-old Pendur Godru of Narayanapur village said, “We, the villagers, never believed that the police who promised to restore the culvert would make it happen within 10 days. Finally, we will have auto-rickshaws and two wheelers plying to our villages.” The residents of of Narayanapur, Ragidubba, Kothaguda and Kuntaguda thanked Vishnu S Warrier, who inaugurated the culvert on Tuesday. On the occasion, the police arranged lunch for all the villagers with the SP himself serving them.